Show J Multiple Hi Intel Still Debated Jay Mathews The Washington Post Howard Gardner Hobbs professor of education and cognition at the Harvard Graduate School of Education received an offer recently from a lawyer in inQuito inQuito inQuito Quito Ecuador For just the man said he would protect Gardner from an outrageous attempt to trademark his name for a local school It appeared to be a scam but was not unexpected Because of a book he wrote 21 years ago Gardner is both lionized and exploited as one of the most famous educational theorists theorists theorists the the- in the world His notion of multiple including the idea that musical musical musical musi musi- cal athletic and other talents are separate from but as important as high SAT scores has has of books inspired scores journal articles conferences and lesson plans for public schools Say the words multiple to an American classroom teacher and you'll probably get a quick recitation of all the things that educator is doing to teach not only the student blessed with what Gardner calls linguistic intelligence intelligence intelligence intel intel- and ical intelligence what intelligence what the SAT assesses but assesses but also those having the other six intelli intelli- on Gardners Gardner's list spatial spatial spatial spa spa- musical kines bodily-kines- interpersonal and naturalist But his fame has not saved him from criticism This summer summer summer sum sum- mer two university professors accused Gardner 61 of encouraging elementary school teaching methods such as singing new words or writing them out with twigs and leaves-for leaves no scholarly evidence uc L cess Daniel Willingham psychology psychology psychology professor at the University of Virginia wrote in the journal Education Next that Gardners Gardner's theory is an inaccurate description of the mind and that the more closely an application draws drawson on the theory the less likely the application is to be tive Linda Gottfredson education education education tion professor at the University of Delaware wrote in the Wilson Quarterly that by denying the difficulties in accommodating intellectual difference multiple intelligence intelligence intelligence intelli intelli- gence theories may do little littlemore littlemore littlemore more than squander scarce learning time and significant opportunities for improvements improvements improvements improve improve- ments in the quality of American schooling The response from is What have traditional traditional traditional tra tra- tra- tra intelligence theorists done for classroom teachers and their students Mindy Kornhaber assistant professor of education policy studies at Pennsylvania State University's College of Education found that nearly teachers in 11 school districts districts districts dis dis- dis- dis liked Gardners Gardner's ideas because they validated what they knew from experience about the power of teaching different children in different ways Kornhaber responding to Willingham in a letter to Education Next said that it is exceedingly odd that he offers not a single example of good practice stemming from the traditional view that intelligence intelligence intelligence intelli intelli- gence is an interrelated hierarchy hierarchy hierarchy chy and that people who are smart in one category usually are smart in others In a letter to the Wilson Quarterly Gardner wrote that the multiple intelligence theory theory theory theo theo- ry was developed as a theory of the mind not as an educational educational educational intervention But he supported the notion that the theory holds out hope that students can be reached in different different different dif dif- ferent ways He added that the standard psychologists psychologist's view of intelligence intelligence intelligence intelli intelli- gence is a recipe for despair It holds that there is but one intelligence and that intelligence intelligence intelligence intelli intelli- gence is highly heritable Gardners Gardner's 1983 book Frames of Mind The Theory of Multiple arrived just as American educators were being pummeled in national reports for failing to teach reading writing and mathematics mathematics mathematics mathe mathe- matics ade aTeI SATs SAT's es vere were dropping and traditional aI educational theorists theorists- Were arguing for longer school schooldays schooldays schooldays days more homework and more testing Gardners Gardner's ideas appealed to many traditional teachers who extolled hard work but also had some students who did better on tests if multiplication tion tables were set to music or works of literature e were acted out in class Since then many psychologists psychologists psychologists have criticized the lack of scientific measures of Gardners Gardner's and some educators say this leads to failed educational policies such as ending ability grouping grouping grouping group group- ing in schools Administrators who think children of different achieve achieve- ment levels will learn better if placed in the same classroom say teachers can use multi multiple le intelligence theory to take different different dif dlf ferent approaches with different different different differ differ- ent students Gottfredson quoted a textbook for future teachers used at her university ty Educators thinking has progressively moved away from policies of exclusion and homogenous grouping toward an emphasis on the value of diversity policies of inclusion and practices that meet the needs of all students In practice Gottfredson said these instructional strategies for mixed-ability mixed classes preclude precisely what helps the more able stu students students students stu- stu dents most accelerating their curriculum allowing them to interact with their intellectual peers and making them work hard Willingham argues that the standard theory of intelligence is not as monolithic as Gardner says it is and that Gardners Gardner's theory disintegrates when analyzed closely Gardners Gardner's criteria for intelli intelli- such as scores on performance performance performance per per- tasks or changes caused by brain damage are too loose he said They open the way for alleged intelli intelli- that make little sense to Willingham such as humor intelligence or memory intelligence intel intel- Gardner said he thinks the theory has served its original to purpose challenge a ry-old ry orthodoxy that defined intelligence only as doing well on multiple-choice multiple tests So Gardner continues to write and speak He drew huge crowds tIlls thus summer in China where he was told that thata a recent conference in Beijing featured papers on multiple multiple multi multi- pIe He and psych ch logist t Mih Mihaly ly G iti ly whose vh Se Sev v vork rk o creativity fe is also well known have launched what they call the Project to encourage research that is both smart and helpful to society I think that any scholar who is luck lucky enough to have his or her ideas taken seriously serious serious- ly has to realize something Gardner said When you release an idea to the rest of the world you simply cant can't control what happens My major response to bad uses of my work or to uses by people who have never read a word of my writing is to try to create structures that encourage better use of the work In that sense I am an idealist |